SHUGETSU I: A POWERFUL AND AMUSING WOOD NETSUKE OF AN ONI
SHUGETSU I: A POWERFUL AND AMUSING WOOD NETSUKE OF AN ONI
By Hara/Higuchi Shugetsu, signed Shugetsu 舟月
Japan, Edo (Tokyo), late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
The large oni wearing a broad, coy grin on his face, standing with legs shoulder width apart and his knees slightly bent, holding Daikoku's mallet (kozuchi) and a straw hat before him. Rather amusingly, he appears to have stolen the two takaramono (lucky objects). The expressively carved face with wide eyes inlaid with dark horn pupils. Very large and generously excavated himotoshi to the back. Signed to one leg SHUGETSU.
HEIGHT 6.4 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear. One inlaid pupil is replaced.
Provenance: Galerie Mochon, Brussels, 31 January 1945. Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above, and thence by descent within the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Asian art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938, they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).
Auction comparison:
Compare a related wood netsuke of a seated oni with similar facial features, signed Shugetsu, dated to the 18th century, at Sotheby's, The Carlo Monzino Colllection of Netsuke, Inro, and Lacquer, 21 June 1995, London, lot 156 (sold for GBP 2,990).
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SHUGETSU I: A POWERFUL AND AMUSING WOOD NETSUKE OF AN ONI
By Hara/Higuchi Shugetsu, signed Shugetsu 舟月
Japan, Edo (Tokyo), late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)
The large oni wearing a broad, coy grin on his face, standing with legs shoulder width apart and his knees slightly bent, holding Daikoku's mallet (kozuchi) and a straw hat before him. Rather amusingly, he appears to have stolen the two takaramono (lucky objects). The expressively carved face with wide eyes inlaid with dark horn pupils. Very large and generously excavated himotoshi to the back. Signed to one leg SHUGETSU.
HEIGHT 6.4 cm
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear. One inlaid pupil is replaced.
Provenance: Galerie Mochon, Brussels, 31 January 1945. Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above, and thence by descent within the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Universite Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Asian art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Japanese and Chinese works of art. In 1938, they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).
Auction comparison:
Compare a related wood netsuke of a seated oni with similar facial features, signed Shugetsu, dated to the 18th century, at Sotheby's, The Carlo Monzino Colllection of Netsuke, Inro, and Lacquer, 21 June 1995, London, lot 156 (sold for GBP 2,990).
Estimate
Reserve
Time, Location
Auction House
